Thesis (Ph. D.)--Boston University / In this dissertation the nature and extent of the contribution of Samuel Dwight Chown to Church Union in Canada is examined. There are three parts to the study, a survey of the life and work of Samuel Dwight Chown, a discussion of his activities in the fields of social reform and evangelism within the context of Methodism, and an examination of his interdenominational Church Union activities. He was born in Kingston, Ontario, in 1853 and was educated in Kingston Public School and the Military College. He later became convinced that he was called to the ministry and, in 1874, became a probationer in the Wesleyan Methodist Church. During his probation he studied for two years at Victoria College and was ordained in 1879. [TRUNCATED}